A      MMTTAL 
of 
SHE^P  HUSBAMDRY 

in 
GEORGIA 


»TE    UNIVERSITY      DH     HILL   LIBR 


S00205118  H 


This  book  is  due  on  the  date  indicated 
below  and  is  subject  to  an  overdue 
fine  as  posted  at  the  circulation  desk. 


EXCEPTION:  Date  due  will  be 
earlier  if  this  item  is  RECALLED. 


5! 


150M/01 -92-941 680 


^*^jy  r*^= 


A  MANUAL 


OF- 


Sheep  Husbaistdey 


IN 


GEORGIA. 


SECOND  EDITION,  REVISED  AND  ENLARGED. 

FIRST    EDITION    ISSUED    OCTOBER,    1875. 


Prepared  under  the  direction  of  the  Commissioner 
of  Agriculture. 


J.    T.    HENDERSON,    Commissioner. 


315 

I' — 


ATLANTA,    GEOROIA, 

1883. 


CO.,   PRINTERS,  ATLANTA, 


tije  ^.  p.  pm  pbrarg 


^atiif  fllarolina  ^tate  Colkge 

G4 


A  iMANUAL 


OF  — 


Sheep  Husbandry 


—  IN 


GEORGIA. 


SECOND  p]DITION,  REVISED  AND  ENLARC;ED. 

FIRST    EDITION    fSSUED    OCTOBER,    1875. 


Prepared  under  the  directioi  of  the  CoDiniissioner 
of  Agriculture. 


J.   T.    HENDERSON,    Commissioner. 


ATLANTA,    GEORaiA, 

1883. 


JAS.    P.    HARHISON  a   CO..    PHINTEBS.    ATLANTA.    OA. 


0.  H.  HILL  LIBRARY 


PREFACE  TO  SECOND  EDITION. 


The  first  edition  of  10,000  copies  of  the  "Manual  of  Sheep 
Husbandry  in  Georgia  "  was  issued  from  this  Department  in  1875, 
under  the  auspices  of  Hon.  Thos.  P.  Janes,  then  Commissioner 
of  Agriculture.  The  encomiums  of  the  press,  not  only  of  this 
Slate,  but  of  the  whole  country,  created  such  a  demand  for  it  that 
the  edition  was  soon  exhausted.  No  publication  of  the  kind  ever 
met  with  more  universal  favor.  The  demands  for  information  on 
sheep  husbandry  have  been  so  frequent  recently  that  this  edition  is 
issued  with  such  additions  to  the  original  as  are  deemed  necessary 
to  convey  fully  the  information  sought  in  the  numerous  letters  of 
inquiry  weekly  received  at  this  office. 

It  has  been  deemed  proper  to  illustrate  some  of  the  breeds  best 
suited  for  culture,  either  pure  or  for  grading  up  our  common  stock. 
The  difficulties  of  the  labor  problem  which  environ  the  farmers  of 
the  South  render  the  present  a  most  auspicious  season  for  embark- 
ing in  sheep  husbandry.  If  this  little  pamphlet  shall  supply  the 
demand  for  information  on  the  subject  of  which  it  treats,  and  even 
partially  relieve  the  owners  of  lands  in  Georgia  of  tlie  embar- 
rassments arising  from  the  labor  problem,  the  objects  of  its  ipsue 
will  have  been  accomplished. 


52226 


A  Manual  of  Sheep  Husbandry  in  Georgia. 


Circular  No.  39.  ] 
New  Series.      ( 

Department  of  Agriculture, 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  March  1,  1883, 

The  act  estaWishing  a  Department  of  Agriculture  for  the  State 
of  Georgia,  defining  the  duties  of  the  Commissioner  of  Agricul- 
ture, says : 

"  It  shall  be  the  especial  duty  of  said  Commissioner  to  investi- 
gate and  report,  as  is  hereinbefore  set  forth,  upon  the  culture  of 
wool,  the  utility  and  profit  of  sheep  raising,  and, all  the  information 
upon  this  important  subject  that  he  may  deem  of  interest  to  the 
people  of  this  State." 

In  order  to  carry  out  practically  this  specific  requirement  of  the 
law,  the  regular  correspondents  of  this  Department,  in  all  parts  of 
the  State,  were  requested  to  give,  with  their  August  returns,  the 
names  and  post-office  address  of  three  of  the  principal  sheep-raisers 
in  their  respective  counties. 

Having  thus  learned  the  address  of  those  actually  engaged  in  the 
business,  the  following  catechism  was  sent  to  each  in  Special  Cir- 
cular No.  9 : 

"Please  answer  the  following  questions,  basing  your  replies  upon 
your  personal  experience  and  observation  in  sheep  husbandry : 

"  1.  What  breed  or  breeds  have  you  tested? 

"2.  Which  has  proved  most  profitable? 

"  3.  What  crosses  have  you  tested  ? 

"4.  Which  have  proved  most  profitable'^ 

"5.  When  did  you  commence  keeping  sheep? 

"6.  How  many  have  you  in  your  flock  ? 

"  7.  Wiiat  variety  do  you  breed  at  this  time  '( 

"8.  What  variety  do  you  recommend  for  general  pirrposee — for- 
wool  and  mutton  ? 


^-  C.  BtateCoUc- 


6  DEPAKTMENT    OF    AGRICULTURE — GEORGIA.  [30] 

"  9.  What  is  the  annual  cost  per  head  of  keeping  sheep? 

"  10.  What  per  cent,  per  annum  on  investment  do  your  sheep 
pay? 

"  11.  What  is  the  average  annual  clip  per  sheep  in  unwashed 
wool  ? 

"  12.  What  is  the  average  price  received  per  pound  for  un- 
washed wool? 

"  13,  What  is  the  cost  of  a  pound  of  wool  after  charging  the 
sheep  with  all  the  expenses,  and  crediting  them  with  lambs,  mutton, 
manure,  etc.  ? 

"  14.  What  is  the  average  number  of  lambs  raised  annually  com- 
pared with  the  number  of  ewes  kept? 

"  15.  What  is  the  average  price  per  head  received  for  lambs  sold 
to  the  butcher  ? 

"  16.  What  is  the  average  value  of  sheep  per  head  in  your 
section  ? 

"17.  What  is  the  average  price  per  head  received  for  mutton 
sheep  ?  •  ; 

"  18.  What  summer  pasturage  have  your  sheep? 

"  19.  What  winter  pasturage  ? 

"  20.  Is  it  necessary  to  feed  them  in  winter  ? 

"  21.  If  so,  on  what  do  you  feed  them  ? 

"  22.  How  long  do  they  require  it  ? 

"  23.  What  disease  or  diseases  have  proved  most  destructive  ? 

"  24.  State  the  remedy  or  remedies  successfully  used  ? 

"  25.  What  are  the  principal  obstacles  to  sheep  raising? 

"  26.  What  remedies  do  you  suggest? 

"  27.  Have  you  utilized  the  manure  from  your  sheep  ? 

"  28.  Give  the  result  of  your  experience  as  to  its  value. 

•"  29.  Give  facts  as  to  area  annually  fertilized  by  a  given  number 
of  sheep. 

"  30.  Give  facts  as  to  results  in  crops  raised  on  lands  so  fertilized. 

"  31.  Give  any  other  information  of  value.'' 

From  the  answers  returned  to  the  above  questions  the  following 
information  is  gathered  : 

Of  those  who  have  tested  crosses  in  Georgia,  98  per  cent,  report 
4;he  cross  of  the  merino  and  the  native  most  profitable. 

The  average  annual  profit  on  the  capital  invested  in  sheep  in 


[31]  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY   IN    GEORGIA.  7 

Georgia  is  63  per  cent.      This  presents  a  very  marked  contrast  be- 
tween the  profits  of  slieep  raising  and  cotton  groioinfj. 

The  average  annual  cost  per  head  of  keeping  sheep  is  on\j  ffty. 
four  cents.  In  answer  to  Question  No.  13,  the  average  cost  of 
raising  a  pound  of  wool  is  only  six  cents^  while  the  average  price 
for  which  the  unwashed  wool  is  sold  is  33^  cents,  or  27i  cents  net. 
An  average  of  seventy-four  lambs  is  raised  for  every  hundred 
ewes,  notwithstanding  the  I'avages  of  dogs. 

The  average  yield  of  unwashed  wool  to  the  sheep  is  3.44  pounds, 
which,  at  27^  cents  net,  gives  an  average  clear  income  in  wool  from 
each  sheep  of  94  cents. 

The  average  price  received  for  lambs  sold  to  the  butcher  in  Geor- 
gia, is  $1.87.     The  average  price  of  stock  sheep  is  $2.58  per  head. 
The  average  price  of  muttons  is  reported  at  $2.75  per  head. 
Ninety  per  cent  of  the  correspondents  report  dogs  \\\q principal., 
and  generally  the  only,  obstacle  to  sheep  husbandry. 

Seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  correspondents  recommend  the  pro- 
tection of  sheep  against  the  ravages  of  dogs  by  some  appropriate 
legislation.  Many  report  the  enterprise  generally  abandoned  on 
account  of  the  absence  of  such  protection. 

There  were  in  Georgia,  in  1860,  according  to  the  U.  S.  cent  us, 
512,618  sheep. 

The  U.  S.  census  of  1870  gives  the  number  of  sheep  in  Georgia 
as  419,465.     Estimated  number  now  in  the  State,  553,968. 

According  to  the  returns  of  the  Tax  Receivers,  collected  under 
the  auspices  of  this  department,  the  number  now  in  the  State  is 
319,323.  This  shows  a  decrease,  from  1860  to  1870,  of  93,153,  and 
from  1870  to  1875,  of  100,142  sheep  in  the  State,  or  a  decrease,  in 
fifteen  years,  of  193,295,  or  38  per  cent,  decrease  during  a  period  in 
which  there  should  have  been  100  per  cent,  increase. 

These  are  startling  facts  which  demand  the  careful  consideration 
of  the  statesman  and  legislator. 

Why  is  it  that  a  branch  of  industry  which,  according  to  the  verdict 
of  those  engaged  in  it,  pays  an  annual  profit  of  63  per  cent,  on  the 
capital  invested,  should  be  languishing,  and,  in  many  instances,  en. 
tirely  abandoned? 

From  the  same  source  from  which  the  number  of  sheep  in  the 
State  is  obtained,  we  learn  that  there  are  99,415  dogs  in  Georgia, 
and  that  they  destroyed,  between  April  1st,  1874,  and  April  1st, 


8  DEPARTMENT   OF    AGRICULTURE — GEORGIA.  [32] 

1875,  28,625  sheep.  May  we  not  find  an  explanation  of  the  de- 
crease in  the  number  of  slieep  in  the  above  figures  ? 

In  the  June  reports,  fhree-fourths  of  the  regular  crop  reporters 
represent  the  ravages  of  dogs  as  the  principal  obstacle  to  sheep- 
raising,  and  estimate  that  fifteen  per  cent,  of  the  sheep  in  the  State 
are  annually  killed  by  dogs,  and  that  six  per  cent  are  lost  by  disease 
and  other  causes. 

The  special  correspondents  on  sheep  husbandry — those  actually 
engaged  in  the  business,  and  hence  more  familiar  with  the  subject — 
were  asked  to  state  the  principal  obstacles  to  Bheep-husbandry. 
Ninety  per  cent,  of  the  whole  number  report  the  ravages  of  dogs 
as  the  pi'indpal,  and  generally  the  only,  obstacle. 

The  statistics  collected  by  the  Tax  Receivers  seem  to  corroborate 
the  reports  of  these  two  sets  of  correspondents,  since  there  are  thirty- 
one  dogs  for  every  one  hundred  sheep,  or  nearly  one  to  thre<\  and 
since  these  dogs  are  allowed  to  destroy  in  one  year  28,625  sheep, 
worth  $73,852,  or  nine  per  cent,  of  the  value  of  all  the  sheep  in 
the  State.  Nothwithstanding  this  loss,  the  annual  profits  are  63 
per  cent.  Remove  the  cause  of  the  loss,  and  the  profits  will  be 
72  per  cent,  on  the  capital  at  present  invested  in  sheep,  and  the 
amount  so  invested  would,  in  a  very  few  years,  be  quadrupled 
when  the  clear  profits,  at  the  above  rates,  would  be  $2,372,687,  per 
annum — more  than  the  total  receipts  into  the  treasury  of  the  State 
in  the  year  1874,  and  more  than  one-fourth  the  State  debt. 

The  value  of  the  sheep  annually  killed  by  dogs,  $73,852,  would 
more  than  pay  the  per  diem  and  mileage  of  the  members  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  Georgia. 

Correspondents  report  that  100  sheep  regularly  folded  will  fer- 
tilize, so  as  to  double  the  yield  of  crops,  eight  acres  a  year. 

At  this  rate,  even  the  number  at  present  in  Georgia  will  fertilize 
annually  25,544  acres. 

We  will  suppose  this  area  to  be  planted  in  cotton,  and  that  with- 
out the  sheep  manure  it  would  produce  one-half  of  a  bale  of  cotton 
per  acre.  The  increase  on  that  area  would  be  12,772  bales  of  cot- 
ton, worth,  at  $50  net  per  bale,  $638,600. 

If  there  were  2,000,000  sheep  in  Georgia,  as  there  would  be  if 
properly  protected,  the  increased  production  from  the  effects  of 
their  manure,  at  the  above  rates,  would  be  worth  $4,000,000  per 
annum,  or  more  than  one-third  the  amount  of  the  State  debt. 


[33]  BHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    GEORGIA.  9 

It  is  hoped  and  believed  that  the  Legislature  will,  at  its  next  ses- 
sion, adopt  such  measures  as  will  remove  the  present  obstacles  to 
this  most  important  industry. 

If  this  is  done,  thousands  of  farmers  in  Georgia  will  immediately 
embark  in  sheep  husbandry,  and  millions  of  acres  of  land  now  idle 
and  an  expense  to  their  owners  will  be  rendered  profitable  as  sheep 
walks,  and  gradually  improved  in  fertility.  /It  will  open  the  way 
for  a  tide  of  immigration  into  Georgia  of  tHoiisands  of  the  best, 
most  quiet,  peaceable,  industrious  and  profitable  laborers,  who 
nearly  double  their  number  annually,  demand  no  wages,  do  not 
steal  or  commit  other  crimes,  labor  assiduously  throughout  the 
year,  feed  and  clothe  themselves  and  their  masters,  make  no  strikes, 
utter  no  complaints,  and  never  "die  in  debt  to  man/^ 

Such  a  laborer  is  the  sheep,  the  best  and  cheapest  in  the  world. 

Is  it  not  remarkable  that  such  laborers  can  not  lie  down  to  rest  at 
night  in  a  civilized  community  without  risking  their  lives  at  the 
hands  (or  rather,  the  mouths)  of  their  idle  and  lawless  neighbors, 
the  dogs,  who  spend  the  day  in  idleness  or  sleep,  and  the  night  in 
murder  and  theft  ? 

Farmers  who  read  the  above  facts,  derived  as  they  are  from  the 
experience  of  practicalherdsmen,  will  very  naturally  ask  themselves 
the  question 

SHALL  I  BUY  SHEEP  ? 

The  answer  to  this  question  in  the  face  of  all  the  obstacles  which 
at  present  exist  in  Georgia  is  rather  difficult,  especially  to  the  small 
farmer  who  cannot  afford  to  keep  a  number  sufficient  to  justify  the 
employment  of  a  shepherd  to  watch  and  protect  his  flock. 

The  small  farmer,  who  would  keep  only  from  fifty  to  one  hun- 
dred sheep,  cannot  thus  safely  invest  his  money  unless  his  farm  is 
so  arranged  that  his  flock  can  be  kept  near  his  house  and  securely 
penned  at  night. 

This  necessity  generally  prevents  the  utilization  of  his  best  pas- 
ture lands  and  greatly  increases  the  expense  of  keeping  sheep. 

It  is  therefore  the  small  farmers,  constituting  the  great  mass  of 
the  agriculturists  of  Georgia,  who  suffer  from  ihe  neglect  of  our 
law-makers  to  afford  the  necessary  protection  to  this  most  profitable 
branch  of  their  legitimate  business.  The  first  question  then  for  his 
consideration  is,  as  to  the  requisite  pasturage  or  range.  If  this 
is  abundant,  he  must  consider  well  if,  with  his  surroundings,  the 


10  DEPARTMENT   OF   AGRICULTURE — GEORGIA.  [3-i] 

probable  loss  by  dopjs  and  stealage  will  leave  a  margin  for  profit. 
If  his  sheep  can  be  protected  from  rogues,  both  quadruped  and 
hiped,  without  too  much  cramping  the  pasturage  or  increasing  the 
expense,  handsome  profit  is  assured.  The  keeper  of  as  many  as 
400  or  500  sheep  is  independent  of  dogs  and  rogues  since  he 
can  afford  to  employ  a  herdsman  to  accompany  the  flock,  and  not 
only  protect  them,  but  economise  by  herding  them  on  uncultivated 
lands  that  could  not  be  otherwise  utilized. 

Hoping  that  many  farmers,  and  especially  the  young  men  in 
Georgia,  will  be  induced  by  the  above  facts  to  engage  in  sheep 
raising,  a  short  manual  will  be  furnished  to  serve  as  a  guide  to  the 
inexperienced,  and  perhaps  be  serviceable  to  many  who,  though 
engaged  in  the  business,  have  given  but  little  attention  tp  either  its 
principles  or  its  practice. 

The  first  question  which  demands  attention  is  the  adaptation  of 
Georgia  to  shee^  husbandry. 

THE  CLIMATE 

of  Georgia  corresponds  with  that  of  the  best  wool  growing  regions 
of  the  world.  Spain,  once  so  famous  for  its  Merinos,  is  warmer  on 
its  southern  coast  than  Southern  Georgia.  Australia,  now  one  of 
the  principal  wool-growing  regions  of  the  world,  embraces  the  lati- 
tude of  Georgia,  but  has  a  maximum  temperature  in  December — 
their  midsummer  month — of  112  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

From  Mr.  Randall,  on  "Sheep  Husbandry  in  the  South,''  we  get 
some  idea  of  the  progress  of  wool  growing  in  Australia  and  Van 
Dieman's  Land.  He  says:  "In  1810  the  export  of  wool  from 
Australia  and  Yan  Dieman's  Land  was  167  pounds;  in  1833  it  had 
reached  3,516,869  pounds.  In  1813  it  amounted  to  16,226,400 
pounds."  In  1848  it  had  increased  to  30,034,567  pounds.  In  1871 
the  crop  of  Australia.  Tasmania  and  New  Zealand  was  168,785,993 
pounds.  There  is  no  reason  why,  with  proper  protection,  Georgia 
may  not  show  a  proportionate  increase  in  the  next  decade. 

The  effects  of  warm  climates  and  their  perennial  herbage  upon 
wool,  bear  a  marked  analogy  to  these  of  warm  climates  upon  vege. 
tation,  giving  increased  vigor  of  growth,  length,  uniformity  and 
strength  of  fibre,  and  consequently  greater  weight  to  the  wool. 

Consider  in  this  connection  the  difference  in  the  cost  of  keeping 
sheep  in  warm  and  cold  climates,  and  we  find  that  warm  climates 
have  decidedly  the  advantage. 


[35]  SHEKP    HUSBANDRY    IN    GEORGIA.  11 

On  this  subject  correspondents  shall  speak  from  experience. 

Mr.  David  Ayers,  of  Camilla,  Mitchell  county,  in  Southwestern 
Georgia,  where  snow  never  falls  and  the  ground  seldom  freezes, 
and  where  the  original  pine  forest  is  carpeted  with  native  grass, 
says  his  sheep — 3,500  in  number — cost  him  i^nnuaWy yovrteen  cents 
per  head,  and  clip  three  pounds  of  unwashed  wool,  which  sells  at 
thirty  cents  per  pound,  giving  a  dear  profit  of  ninety  per  cent,  on 
the  money  and  labor  invested  in  sheep.  Lands  suited  to  sheep 
raising  can  be  purchased  in  this  section  of  the  State  at  from  §1.50 
to  $10  per  acre  according  to  location.  Mr.  Ayers  does  not  feed  his 
sheep  at  any  time  during  the  year,  neither  has  he  introduced  the 
improved  breeds,  using  only  what  is  known  as  the  native  sheep. 

Of  course  the  cross  of  the  merino  on  this  stock  would  give 
better  results  in  both  quantity  and  quality  of  wool.  These  sheep 
received  little  care  except  to  be  gathered  up  once  a  year  to  be  sheared 
and  marked. 

Mr.  Ayers  complains  of  the  ravages  of  dogs  on  the  sheep,  and  of 
hogs  and  eagles  on  lambs*. 

Mr.  John  McDowell,  of  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  keeps 
650  highly  improved  sheep,  which  cost  annually,  $1.54:  per  head  to 
keep  them.  He  aims  to  make  his  zvool  clip  dear,  which  averages 
41bs.  of  brook- washed  wool*  per  sheep,  and  sold  this  year  dX  fifty ■ 
52.»  cents  per  lb.,  or  $2.24  for  each  sheep  sheared;  but  the  last  crop  cost, 
on  account  of  the  severe  winter,  fifteen  cents  per  lb.,  which  makes 
his  net  income  per  sheep,  $1.60.  His  sheep  are  worth  $3.50  per 
head,  and  his  net  profits  are  forty-six  per  cent,  on  the  capital  invest- 
ed in  them. 

The  land  on  which  Mr.  McDowell  pastures  his  sheep  is  worth 
about  fifty  dollars  per  acre,  or  fully  ten  times  t1ie  value  of  that  on 
which  Mr.  Ayer's  flocks  feed. 

In  other  words,  Mr.  McDowell,  in  the  fine  farming  regions  of 
Pennsylvania,  must  invest,  supposing  that  he  keeps  two  sheep  to 
the  acre  and  Mr.  Ayers  one,  five  times  as  much  in  land  as  Mr- 
Ayers,    to    make    one-half  the    profit  on  the  money  invested  in 


It   will  thus  appear,    that    where    sheep-husbandry    is    made   a 

*0wing  to  its  freedom  from  hay  seed,  and  the  fact  that  the  heavy  spring  rains  wash  out  the  yolk 
and  dirt,  just  before  shearing  time,  Georgia  unwashed  wool  is  as  clean  as  Pennsylvania  brook-washed. 


12  DEPARTMENT   OF    AGRICDLTUKE — GEORGIA.  [36j 

specialty,  Southern  Georgia  has   a   decided    advantage  over  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Mr.  Robert  G.  H umber,  of  Putnam  county,  in  Middle  Georgia, 
furnishes  some  interesting  fact-^  from  his  experience  in  sheep  raising 
as  a  factor  of  mixed  husbandry,  in  which  the  famous  and  much 
dreaded  Bermuda  grass  is  utilized. 

He  keeps  138  sheep  of  the  cross  between  the  Merino  and  the 
common  stock. 

He  says  they  cost  "notliing  except  the  salt  they  eat,"  while  they 
pay  100  per  cent,   on  the  in  vestment, in  mutton,  lambs  and  wool. 

They  yield  an  average  of  31bs.,  of  wool  per  head,  which  he  sells 
at  the  very  low  price  of  twenty-jive  cents — less  than  the  market 
price.  It  costs  him  nothing  except  the  shearing.  His  sheep  range 
on  Bermuda  grass  old  fields  in  summer,  and  the  plantation  at  large, 
embracing  the  fields  from  which  crops  have  been  gathered,  and  the 
cane  bottoms  in  winter.     They  are  never  fed  at  any  season. 

No  diseases  of  consequence  are  reported  in  the  flocks  in  Georgia. 

Having  selected  a  representative  report  from  each  of  the  lower 
sections  of  Georgia,  we  will  now  put  Mr.  Ttichard  Peters — who  is, 
perhaps,  better  informed  on  the  subject  in  hand  than  any  other 
gentleman  in  Georgia — on  the  witness  stand,  and  have  his  testimony 
on  the  subject  of  sheep  husbandry  in  North  Georgia.  Mr.  Peters 
has  tested  the  "Spanish  Merino,  French  Merino,  South-down,  Ox- 
fordshire-Down, Leicester,  Asiatic  Broad-tail  or  Tunisian,  Improved 
Kentucky,  Cotswold,  and  native  sheep." 

Of  these,  the  Spanish  Merino  and  natives  prove  most  profitable, 
the  other  pure  breeds  prove  unhealthy  with  him. 

He  has  tested  the  crosses  between  the  South-Down  and  Cotswold, 
South-Down  and  native,  Cotswold  and  native,  and  Spanish  Merino 
and  native. 

The  crosses  between  the  Spanish  Merino  and  native,  and  the 
Cotswold  and  native,  have  proved  most  profitable.  Of  these  two 
cro9-:e8  he,  in  common  with  every  other  Georgia  correspondent, 
gives  the  decided  preference  to  the  cross  of  the  Spanish  Merino  and 
native. 

Mr.  Peters'  experience  and  experiments,  extending  through  twen- 
ty-seven years,  are  of  great  value;  and  while  they  must  have  been 
very  expensive  to  him,  they  will  save  others  the  expense  and  time 
of  ascertaining,  by  experiment,  what  he  has  already  done  for  them. 


[37]  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    GKOKOIA.  13 

''For  general  purposes,  for  wool  and  mutton,"  he  recommends 
most  decidedly,  the  cross  from  native  ewes  and  Spanish  Merino  bucks 
— the  progeny  showing  marked  improvement,  having  constitution, 
fattening  properties,  thriftiness,  and  a  compact,  close  Heece." 

"Where  the  pasturage  is  very  good  and  more  size  is  desired,  a 
Cots  wold  buck  may  then  be  used  to  advantage,  with  the  one- 
half  or  three-fourths  blood  Merino  ews.  A  first  cross  between  the 
Cotswold  and  native  is  seldom  successful;  the  pure  bred  Cotswold 
begins  to  decline  after  the  tirst  season,  and  their  progeny  seldom  do 
well  unless  the  pasturage  is  extra  good  and  in  small  flocks,  with 
constant  care  and  attention." 

While  he  raises  only  seventy  lambs  to  the  hundred  ewes  of  the 
pure  Merinos,  he  raises  a  lamb  for  every  ewe  of  the  cross-bred 
natives  and  Meiinos. 

During  mild  winters  in  Gordon  county,  his  sheep  require  feeding 
only  thirty  days;  in  cold,  wet  winters,  twice  that  length  of  time. 

Speaking  of  the  remedies  for  worms  in  the  head,  foot-rot  and  dis- 
seased  livers  and  intestines  of  the  lambs,  caused  by  parasitic  worms, 
he  says:  "Change  of  pasturage  and  a  liberal  use  of  tar  on  the  noses 
of  the  sheep  during  the  summer  months  will  check  the  fly  during 
the  time  of  depositing  its  eggs  on  the  nostrils  of  the  sheep.  This 
disease  shows  itself  by  a  running  at  the  nose,  and  is  much  more  pre- 
valent among  the  native  sheep  than  the  Merino. 

"The  'foot-rot'  generally  yields  to  blue-stone  and  spirits  of  tur- 
pentine, after  a  free  use  of  the  knife.  It  can  readily  be  eradicated 
from  a  flock  by  the  use  of  nitrate  of  silver  and  burnt  alum.  The 
disease  caused  by  worms  in  the  internal  viscera  of  lambs  has  shown 
itself,  to  some  extent,  in  the  flocks  of  upper  Georgia.  Change  of 
pasture,  and  keeping  the  lambs  from  wet  low-ground  pastures  dur- 
ing the  summer  months,  and  especially  at  weaning  time,  will  pre- 
vent a  spread  of  the  disease. 

"When  lambs  are  in  good  order  and  run  on  upland  pastures  this 
disease  does  not  show  itself  to  any  injurious  extent." 

Speaking  of  the  value  of  the  manure  of  the  sheep,  he  says:  "I 
can  only  judge  of  its  value  by  the  compact  sod  of  grass  on  my 
sheep  pastures,  capable  of  sustaining  ten  head  to  one  as  compared  to 
twenty  years  ago." 

He  further  says:  "I  have  found  that  the  native  sheep  can  be 
rapidly  improved    by  proper   attention,  and  by  separating  the   ewe 


14  DEPARTMENT   OF   AGRICULTURE — GEORGIA.  [88} 

lamTjs  from  the  buck  until  a  year  old.  This  is  the  bases  oi  any  suc- 
cessful attempts  at  impromng  the  native  sheep,  and  unless  it  is 
attended  to  7io  great  change  can  be  made.  One  of  the  advantages 
attending  the  Merino,  is  tlie  fact  that  the  ewes  seldom  breed  until 
they  are  two  years  old."  He  says:  "The  best  combination  flock  of 
mutton  and  wool,  suited  to  our  climate,  can  be  readily  built  up  on 
the  natives  as  the  basis,  using  the  Merino  buck  for  the  first  cross, 
and  then  the  Cotswold  to  give  more  eize  and  a  longer  staple  to  the 
fleece." 

Lengthy  extracts  have  been  given  from  Mr.  Teter's  replies  to 
the  foregoing  questions  in  order  that  others  may  avail  themselves 
of  his  large  practical  experience  and  observation. 

It  will  be  seen  that  his  experience  agrees  with  that  of  nearly 
every  other  sheep  raiser  in  the  State,  as  to  the  crosses  most  profit- 
able in  Georgia.  It  is  a  well  established  fact  that  the  large,  long- 
wooled  Leicesters  and  Cotswolds  are  not  adapted  to  our  climate  or 
pasturage.  They  require  a  cool  climate  and  a  full  bite  of  grass. 
Even  if  we  had  both  of  these  requisites  it  is  plain  that  wool  grow- 
ing must,  for  many  years,  be  the  leading  object  of  the  sheep  hus- 
bandry of  Georgia,  since  we  have  not  home  markets  for  mutton. 

INCREASE    OF    LAMBS    IS   INCREASE    OF   WOOL. 

A  first  principle,  which  every  sheep  raiser  should  lay  down  as  the 
foundation  of  successful  husbandry  is,  that  "increase  of  lambs  is  in- 
crease of  wool,"  and,  hence,  ecpecial  attention  should  be  given  to 
the  ewes  at  lambing  time,  and  the  necessary  means  employed  to 
have  the  lambs  to  come  as  early  in  the  season  as  possible. 

In  all  of  Middle  and  Lower  Georgia  the  lambs  should  commence 
coming  by  the  first  of  Januar3\  In  North  Georgia,  either  in  No- 
vember, or  last  of  February  and  first  of  March.  It  is  an  old  maxim 
that  "  one  January  is  worth  two  March  lambs." 

To  regulate  this,  the  bucks  should  not  be  allowed  to  run  through 
the  year  with  the  ewes,  but  should  be  separated  from  them  as  soon 
as  they  have  finished  service  in  the  full  and  kept  from  them  until 
their  services  are  again  needed. 

The  period  of  gestation  of  the  ewe  is  151  to  152  days,  so  that  to 
have  the  lambs  commence  coming  by  the  first  of  January  the  bucks 
should  be  turned  with  the  ewes  by  the  first  of  August.  January 
lambs  make  better  carcasses,  and,  of  course,  yield  more  wool  than 
late  ones. 


[39]  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    GEORGIA. 


15 


During  the  lambing  season,  the  breeding  ewes  should  be  kept  in 
a  flock  to  themselves,  seen  at  least  twice  daily,  and  unless  there  is 
an  abundance  of  green  pasturage,  should  be  fed  moderately,  but 
regularly.  Cotton  seed  afford  a  cheap  and  excellent  food  for  sheep. 
These,  with  oat  or  rye  pastures  sown  early  in  the  fall,  will  afford 
sufficient  food  to  induce  an  abundant  flow  of  milk  for  the  lambs^ 
and  at  the  same  time  keep  the  ewes  in  a  healthy,  thriving  condition, 
and  increase  the  clip  of  wool  for  the  next  season.  It  is  important 
for  the  health  of  the  sheep,  and  for  the  quantity  as  well  as  the  qual- 
ity of  the  wool,  that  they  should  not  grow  thin  during  the  winter; 
and,  indeed,  that  they  should  continue  in  a  uniformly  good  condi- 
tion throughout  the  year.  It  is  a  recognized  fact  among  wool- 
growers,  that  fat  sheep  produce  more,  though  perhaps  coarser  wool, 
than  thin  ones,  and  that  the  strength,  as  well  as  the  length  of  the 
fibre  is  improved  by  continued  health  and  good  condition  of  the 
sheep.  The  part  of  the  fibre  grown  during  periods  of  low  condi- 
tion or  health,  will  be  weaker  than  that  grown  when  an  abundance 
of  food  is  supplied,  and  these  M'eak  points  in  the  fibre  injure  its 
quality,  and,  of  course,  its  sale. 

It  is  on  this  principle  that  wool  grown  in  warm  climates,  where 
the  sheep  have  a  continuous  supply  of  green  food,  is  heavier  and  of 
better  quality  than  that  grown  in  colder  climates,  where  the  sheep 
grow  thin  during  severe  winters. 

BUCKS. 

One  buck  in  vigorous  condition  will  serve  fifty  ewes,  if  allowed  to- 
run  with  them— more,  if  kept  up  and  the  ewes  turned  out  as  soon 
as  they  have  been  served  once.  To  avoid  unnatural  excitement  and 
undue  worry  by  running  from  ewe  to  ewe,  and  by  fighting,  each 
buck  should,  if  possible,  be  placed  in  a  separate  enclosure,  with  the 
ewes  intended  for  him.  If  an  expensive  buck  is  used,  and  it  is  de- 
sired that  he  shall  serve  a  large  number  of  ewes,  he  may  be  kept  in 
a  pen  into  which  fifteen  or  twenty  ewes  may  be  turned  at  a  time. 
The  brisket  of  the  buck  may  be  rubbed  with  Venetian  red  and 
lard,  or  common  lampblack  and  lard.  Have  an  active  shepherd 
constantly  present,  who,  with  as  little  excitement  as  possible,  will 
remove  the  ewes  as  fast  as  the  buck  marks  them  with  the  coloring 
matter  on  his  brisket. 

Bj  this  means  a  buck  may  serve  an  hundred  ewes  with  as  little 


16  DEPARTMENT   OF    AGRICULTURE — GEORGIA.  [4(»] 

injury  to  himself,  and  with  as  much  certainty  as  to  results,  as  he 
will  fifty  when  allowed  to  run  with  the  flock. 

Bucks  should  be  fed  on  oats  during  the  period  of  their  service. 

Ram  lambs  should  not  be  admitted  to  service  under  any  circum- 
stances. 

Yearling  bucks  should  not  be  allowed  to  serve  more  than  thirty 
ewes.     At  two  years  old  they  may  be  admitted  to  full  service. 

SELECTION. 

In  the  selection  of  bucks,  or  in  turning  out  lambs  for  that  pur- 
pose, "form,  size  and  covering"  are  the  three  points  to  be  con- 
sidered. 

If  the  buck  is  to  be  coupled  to  a  promiscuous  flock  of  ewes,  his 
form  should  be  symmetrical,  and  well  developed  at  every  point. 

If  he  is  intended  to  serve  ewes  that  are  defective  in  any  one 
point,  the  buck  should,  if  possible,  be  selected  with  a  special  devel- 
opment in  opposition  to  the  defects  of  the  ewes,  so  that  such  de- 
fect may  be  neutralized  in  the  progeny.  Lambs  intended  for  ser- 
vice as  bucks,  besides  the  requisites  of  form,  size  and  covering, 
should  have  evidences  of  health  and  thrift,  care  being  taken  that 
no  impediments  be  placed  in  the  way  of  their  full  development. 

Bucks  should  neither  be  small,  nor  should  they  be  large  at  the 
expense  of  symmetry,  hardiness  and  compactness.  The  covering, 
or  lieece,  should  be  compact,  uniform,  and  envelop  the  whole  body. 
The  selection  of  bucks  is  of  special  importance  to  the  Georgia  hus- 
bandman, since  his  first  object  must  be  to  "grade  up"  the  native 
stock  by  the  use  of  pure  or  nearly  pure  bied  Merino  bucks,  with  a 
special  view  to  their  wool  producing  properties,  improving  at  the 
same  time  the  loeight  and  quality  of  the  fleece.  Twenty  dollars 
seems  to  our  people  a  large  price  to  be  paid  for  a  buck,  but  when 
the  fact  that  such  a  cross  will  add  a  pound  or  more  to  the  weight 
of  the  fleece  and  several  cents  per  pound  to  its  value,  the  advan- 
tages of  such  an  investment  will  be  too  apparent  to  require  further 
comment. 

SUMMER    MANAGEMENT. 

Whether  sheep-raising  be  made  a  factor  of  mixed  husbandry  or 
a  specialty,  the  herdsman  should  remember  that  for  sheep  "  change 
is  more  important  than  range."  In  the  extensive  sheep-walks  of 
North,  or  the  wire  grass  regions  of  South  Georgia,  the  flocks  firfl 
the  necessary  change  by  extending  their  walk. 


C4n  SHEEP   H06B4HDSY   IN    GEORGIA. 

If  they  ai-0  kept  within  inclosm-e.,  they  should  have  frequent 
.change  of  pastnre  to  seeure  health  and  the  necessai-y  variety  of 

^°If'a  given  number  of  sheep  are  to  be  grazed  npon  100  acres,  they 
will  thfive  better  if  this  is  divided  into  two  fields  0  60  acres  each, 
Tnd  he  flock  alternated  monthly  between  them  than  ,f  they  are 
allowed  to  rnn  constantly  on  the  whole  area.  Besides  having  fresh 
lad"  g  ground  during  the  day  and  fresh  beds  at  n.ght  here  are 
;ertain  plingent  plants  which  seem  necessary  to  the  health  of  the 
Teep,  and  ^hicli  become  exhausted  or  exterminated  on  permanent 
sheep-walks. 

SALT,    FKESH    WATER   AND    SHADE. 

Salt  should  be  either  made  constantly  accessible  to  sheep  in  their 
Dasture  by  placing  the  rock-salt  in  boxes  in  sufficient  number  to  pre- 
^:nt  Lufflin',  and^iightin,  over  them,  or  they  should  be  salted  reg. 
ularly  twice  a  week  in  boxes  or  troughs,  or  on  clean  rocks  piovided 
for  tL  purpose,  selecting  the  evening  in  preference  to  the  mormng 
to  avoid  too  free  use  of  water  after  the  salt  and  its  consequent  bad 
effects  on  the  health  of  the  sheep.  Troughs  dug  m  ordinary  pine 
poles  filled  with  common  tar,  and  this  kept  regularly  sprinkled  with 
salt  and  placed  at  a  convenient  point  in  the  sheep-walk  serve  the 
double  purpose  of  supplying  salt  and  inducing  a  moderate  con- 
sumption of  the  tar  which  acts  as  a  disinfectant,  and   conduces  to 

^''While  there  are  advantages  in  having  the  salt  always  accessible, 
the  semi-weekly  inspection  of  the  flock  by  the  master  at  salting 
time  and  the  constant  renewal  of  acquaintance  between  the  master 
and  liis  flock,  is  exceedingly  valuable  to  both.  The  eye  of  the  mas- 
ter is  the  safeguard  of  the  flock. 

The  sheep  is  exceedingly  neat,  and  even  fastidious  about  its  food 
and  drink,  and  hence  should  have  clean  grass  and  clear  running 
water  Though  they  use  less  water  than  other  animals,  often  pass- 
ing some  days  without  it,  it  is  none  the  less  necessary  for  their 
comfort  and  health  that  it  should  be  accessible.  _ 

Daring  our  summer  months  sheep  feed  early  in  the  mormng  and 
late  in  the  evening,  spending  the  i  est  of  the  day  in  the  shade. 

This  fact  is  enough  to  show  the  necessity  of  an  abundance  of 
.ood  shade  in  every  pasture.     They  seek  the  same  sheltering  places 


18  DEPARTMENT   OF   AGRICULTURE — GEORGIA.  [42]: 

day  after  daj'  until  they  become  very  foul  and  injurious  to  the 
health  of  the  flock. 

Unless  a  change  of  pasturage  is  practicable,  these  resting  places 
should  be  occasionally  cleaned  off,  and  the  manure  from  them  sav- 
ed. Flocks  should  never  be  disturbed  in  the  heat  of  the  day ;  all 
changes  from  pasture  to  pasture,  from  pasture  to  pen,  and  vice 
versa,  being  made  either  early  in  the  morning  or  in  the  cool  of  the 
evening,  giving  a  decided  preference  to  the  morning. 

The  flock  should  be  closely  watched  in  spring  and  early  summer 
for  indications  of  maggots  in  the  wool,  and  spirits  of  turpentine 
promptly  used  on  the  infected  part.  A  sheep  thus  affected  usually 
separates  itself  from  the  rest  of  the  flock  and  mopes  about  alone. 

The  presence  of  maggots  in  the  wool  will  be  indicated  by  a  din- 
gy bluish  appearance.  If  prompt  attention  is  not  given,  the  flesh 
will  be  penetrated,  and  serious  injury,  if  not  death,  ensue. 

If  not  salted  regularly  in  wet  spells,  diarrhea  is  apt  to  follow, 
with  a  fouling  of  the  wool  in  the  rear.  These  "tags"  should  be 
promptly  removed  with  the  shears,  and  if  the  disease  is  obstinate,, 
the  sheep  fed  for  a  few  days  on  meal  with  a  little  salt  in  it,  and 
other  dry  food  if  the  patient  can  be  induced  to  take  it. 

WHEN    TO    SHEAR. 

As  the  leading  object  of  sheep  husbandry  in  Georgia  must  for 
years  be  the  growth  of  wool,  next  in  importance  to  breeding  to  the 
highest  development  of  the  fleece,  is  its  judicious  gathering  and 
management  after  it  is  grown,  to  secure  the  best  profits. 

The  great  object  to  be  looked  to  then,  is  to  secure  the  maximum 
uniform  clip  of  marketable  wool,  with  minimum  risk  of  health  and 
comfort  to  the  sheep.  No  better  rule  as  to  the  time  of  shearing 
can  be  given,  than  that  clear  warm  weather  should  be  selected,  not 
so  early  as  to  risk  the  health  of  the  sheep  by  cool  spells  following 
the  removal  of  its  winter  coat,  nor  so  late  that  the  winter  coat  has 
become  oppressive,  or  has  commenced  to  wa-te  to  make  room  for 
another.  In  the  selection  of  this  appropriate  season  each  owner 
must  exercise  a  sound  judgment. 

now  TO  CATCH  A  SHEEP 

is  a  matter  of  more  importance  than  would  appear  at  first  glance. 
The  usual  practice  of  catching  them  by  the  wool  is  cruel — not  tO' 
Bay  barbarous.     Any  one  who  wishes  to  see  the  bad  effects  of  sucb 


[43]  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   GEORGIA.  IS^ 

a  practice  can  do  so  bj  catching  a  sheep  intended  for  the  batcher 
by  the  wool  and  then  noticing  the  inflamed  places  on  the  pelt  and  body 
caused  by  palling  the  wool,  when  it  is  removed,  say  in  twenty-- 
four  hours  after  it  is  caught.  Having  the  sheep  in  a  pen,  the  shep- 
herd advances,  placing  his  left  arm  around  the  neck  of  the  sheep 
and  tlie  right  hand  upon  the  rump  to  prevent  its  backing.  After 
raising  the  fore  legs  from  the  ground  he  passes  first  the  right  and 
then  the  left  hand  around,  just  behind  the  tore  legs,  and  the  sheep 
is  at  his  mercy  to  be  removed  to  a  smooth  grass  plat  adjacent  to  the 
pen,  on  which  a  canvas  or  some  green  leaves  have  been  spread. 
The  shearer  places  the  ^heep  on  its  rigid  side,  bringing  its  head 
under  his  left  leg  beneath  the  bend  of  the  knee,  and  its  hind  legs 
under  the  right  leg,  he  being  in  a  sitting  position  on  the  ground. 
Commencing  near  the  middle  of  the  belly-wool,  pass  the  shears 
smoothly  but  rapidly  forward,  pressing  the  wool  towards  the  back 
gently,  but  not  with  sufficient  tension  to  risk  raising  the  pelt  in  the 
way  of  the  shears.  When  the  wool  has  been  clipped  a  little  be 
yond  the  ridge  of  the  back,  the  fleece  is  tucked  well  under  the 
sheep,  which  is  simply  rolled  over  from  the  shearer,  and  at  the  same 
time  drawn  towards  him,  the  part  of  the  fleece  already  clipped  be- 
ing kept  rolled  over  without  separating  it  from  that  remaining  on 
the  sheep.  When  the  entire  fleece  has  been  removed,  it  is  spread 
on  a  clean  sheet  or  floor  with  the  clipped  side  down.  The  scraps^ 
are  thrown  in,  the  wool  from  the  neck,  legs  and  sides  folded  over,, 
and  commencing  with  the  rump  end,  the  whole  is  rolled  towards 
the  shoulders,  applying  sufficient  pressure  to  compress  but  not  wad' 
the  fleece.  Two  threads  of  twine,  each  four  inches  from  the  ends 
of  the  roll,  confine  it  and  finish  its  preparation  for  market. 

MARKING  AND  DOCKING. 

Before  the  weather  grows  very  warm  in  spring,  and  before  tlie- 
lambs  are  old  enough  to  render  the  operation  very  painful  or  dan- 
gerous, marking,  castrating  and  docking  should  be  attended  to. 
Castration  is  a  very  simple  process,  and  if  done  when  the  lambs 
are  not  more  than  a  month  old,  a  perfectly  safe  one.  A  little  tar  and 
grease,  or  simply  common  salt  rubbed  in  the  wound  will  prove  ad- 
vantageous. 

Docking  should  never  be  omitted,  since  it  improves  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  sheep  and  prevents  much  trouble,  both  to  the  sheep 


1W  DEPARTMENT   OF   AGRICULTURE — GEORGIA.  [4-i] 

and  the  shepherd  when  purging  takes  place.  In  performing  this 
•operation  the  skin  of  the  tail  should  be  pulled  with  the  finger  and 
thumb  towards  the  body,  and  a  smooth  cut  made  with  a  chisel  and 
anallet  on  a  block  prepared  for  the  purpose. 

The  object  in  pulling  the  skin  forward  is,  that  after  the  cut  is 
made,  it  may  return  and  cover  the  stump,  and  not  only  facilitate 
.liealing,  but  prevent  an  unsightly  appearance. 

DATING  THE  BIRTH  OF  LAMBS. 

Marking  should  serve  the  double  purpose  of  indicating  the  own- 
ership, and  the  year  on  which  the  lamb  is  dropped. 

To  indicate  the  latter,  the  following  plan  is  suggested.  It  is  not 
often  profitable  to  suffer  sheep  to  attain  a  greater  age  than  ten 
years.  Nine  distinctive  marks,  therefore,  to  indicate  the  year  of 
birth,  is  all  that  will  be  needed,  since  all  should  be  scaled  off  for  the 
butcher  before  or  at  the  tenth  year. 

Take  the  present  decade  to  illustrate  the  plan.  Lambs  born  at 
the  beginning  of  a  decade,  shall  have  only  the  mark  of  ownership. 
Those  born  the  first  year,  or  in  1871,  shall  have  a  round  hole  in  the 
right  ear;  those  dropped  in  1872,  will  have  two  round  holes  in  the 
right  ear;  in  1873,  an  underbit  in  the  right  ear ;  in  1874,  an  over- 
bit  in  the  right  ear;  in  1875,  a  swallowfork  in  the  right ;  in  1876,  a 
round  hole  in  the  left  ear  ;  in  1877,  two  holes  in  the  left;  in  1878, 
an  underbit  in  the  left;  in  1879,  an  overbit  in  the  left;  in  1880, 
only  the  mark  of  ownership  again.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  first  five 
years  of  the  decade  are  indicated  on  the  right  ear,  and  the  remain- 
der on  the  left.  The  advantages  of  such  a  system  will  be  readily 
understood  by  those  who  have  kept  sheep,  and  have  been  compell- 
ed to  resort  to  the  troublesome  expedient  of  examining  the  teeth  of 
-every  sheep  in  a  large  flock  to  learn  which  had  reached  the  age  for 
scaling  off.  While  the  lamb  is  in  hand  receiving  the  mark  of  own- 
ership, the  time  and  trouble  required  to  date  its  birth,  will  be  a 
meie  trifle  compared  to  the  advantage  of  knowing  by  an  inspection 
•  of  the  ears,  the  age  of  each  sheep  in  the  flock. 

If  this  system  were  adopted  by  every  herdsman  in  the  State,  be- 
sides preventing  much  loss  by  the  death  of  the  superannuated,  pur- 
chasers of  flocks  could  start  with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  age  of 
•their  sheep,  and  know  which  to  scale  off. 


[45]  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    GEORGIA.  2? 

TO  DETERMINE  THE  AGE  BY  THE  TEETH. 

This  cannot  be  better  presented  than  by  a  partial  quotation  from-^ 
"Randall  on  Sheep  Husbandry  in  the  South  ;"  a  very  valuable 
book,  which  should  be  in  the  library  of  every  farmer  in  Georgia, 
who  keeps  sheep.  Occasion  is  here  taken  to  acknowledge  its  supe- 
rior merit,  and  to  heartily  recommend  it  to  Georgia  farmers. 

On  the  subject  of  teeth  he  says  : 

"The  sheep  has  24  molar  teeth,  and  eight  incisors,  the  latter 
are  confined  to  the  lower  jaw,  being  opposed  by  a  firm,  hard,  elas- 
tic pad  or  cushion  on  the  upper  jaw.  The  incisors  are  (/otc^e-shsip' 
ed — i.  e.,  concave  within  and  convex  without.  The  lamb  is  born< 
without  incisor  teeth,  or  it  has  but  two.  In  three  or  four  weeks  it 
has  eight  small,  short  ones. 

"When  not  far  from  a  year  old — though  sometimes  not  until- 
fourteen,  fifteen,  or  sixteen  months  old  —the  two  central  incisors- 
are  shed,  and  their  places  are  supplied  by  two  longer  and  broader 
teeth.  The  sheep  is  then  termed,  in  this  country,  a  yearling  or 
yearling  past. 

"Two  of  the  'lamb  teeth'  continue  to  be  shed  annually,  and  their- 
places  supplied  with  the  permanent  ones,  until  the  sheep  becomes- 
full-mouthecV  at  five  years  old. 

"At  six  years  old  the  incisors  begin  to  diminish  in  breadth.  At 
seven  they  have  lost  their  fan-like  shape,  becoming  equilateral,  long 
and  narrow.  At  eight,  they  are  still  more  narrow ;  and  this  year  or- 
the  next,  reversing  the  flaring  or  divergent  position,  they  begin  to» 
point  in  toward  the  two  central  ones.  Their  narrowness  and  inward 
direction  increase  for  a  year  or  two  more,  when  they  begin  to  drop- 
out. " 

They  should  be  prepared  for  the  butcher  before  they  lose  their 
teeth — eay  from  the  eighth  to  the  tenth  year  of  their  age,  according 
to  the  value  and  vigor  of  the  animal.  This  is  for  merinos  and  their- 
crosses.     The  long- wools  lose  their  teeth  earlier. 

WEANING  LAMBS. 

At  shearing  season,  the  lambs  being  now  four  or  five  months  old,, 
should  be  separated  from  the  ewes,  and  placed  in  company  with  a* 
few  barren  or  "turned  off"  ewes,  to  guide  and  gentle  them,  in  a> 
field  sufficiently  distant  frjm  their  mothers  to  prevent  them  from, 
hearing  each  other  bleat. 

The  lambs  should  have  fresh  and  tender  pasturage  for  the  first 


22  DEPAETMKNT   OF   AGRICULTURE — GEORGIA.  [46] 

few  weeks,  and  the  ewes  dry  and  short  food,  to  reduce  the  flow  of 
milk.  As  eoon  as  assured  of  the  safety  of  their  bags  from  "  garget, " 
the  ewes  should  be  placed  on  good  pastures,  to  prepare  them  for 
winter.  They  should  not  be  too  fat,  however,  when  admitted  to  the 
buck,  as  a  fat  ewe  is  less  certain  to  conceive  than  one  in  moderate 
condition. 

Bells  should  be  placed  on  a  few  of  the  strongest  and  boldest  of 
each  flock,  to  give  warning  of  danger.  They  serve,  also,  to  help  the 
herdsman  to  find  his  band  if  in  woods  or  in  foggy  weather,  and 
some  claim  ihat  they  serve  to  frighten  off  dogs  and  wolves. 

The  diseases  to  which  sheep  in  Georgia  are  subject,  and  their 
remedies,  are  so  well  presented  in  the  extracts  from  the  replies  of 
Mr.  Peters,  that  it  is  not  deemed  necessary  to  make  further  com- 
ment upon  them. 

BUTCHERING. 

The  impression  is  very  prevalent,  even  among  experienced  sheep 
raisers,  that  the  peculiar  "  sheepy  "  odor  and  taste  sometimes  found 
in  mutton,  is  due  to  the  contact  of  the  wool  with  the  meat.  This 
is  a  mistake  which  has  occasioned  much  prejudice  against  mutton 
as  food. 

The  true  cauu  of  this  taste  and  odor  is  to  be  found  in  delay  in 
disemhowtling  the  carcass. 

The  intestines  should  be  removed  at  the  earliest  possible  moment 
after  life  is  extinct,  and  before  the  removal  of  the  pelt  if  necessary- 
Tlie  same  result  may  be  accomplished  by  pouring  a  bucket  of  cold 
water  into  the  cavity,  as  soon  as  opened  and  before  the  bowels  are 
removed. 

If  the  intestines  are  allowed  to  remain  until  the  pelt  is  removed 
without  using  the  cold  water,  the  gases  emitted  from  them  are  dis- 
seminated through  the  flesh  and  produce  the  objectionable  taste  and 
odor.  If  proper  attention  is  paid  to  butchering  well  fatted  muttons, 
there  will  be  nothing,  either  in  the  odor  or  taste,  to  offend  the  most 
fastidious. 

Properly  served  lamb  or  mutton  furnishes  at  once  a  most  whole" 
some,  delicate,  delicious  and  nutritious  food,  which  should  largely 
supplant  the  gross  iiog  meat  usually  consumed  in  Georgia. 


£47]  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY   IN    GEORGIA.  23 

CONCLUDING   REMARKS. 

The  remarkable  fact  developed  in  the  foregoing  circular  is  the 
handsome  profit  derived  from'  sheep  husbandry  in  the  face  of  the 
most  adverse  circumstances.  It  is  a  notorious  fact  tha*".  very  few  of 
those  who  keep  sheep  in  Georgia,  pay  more  attention  to  them  than 
to  mark  and  shear  them,  except  in  tlie  more  northern  portion  of  the 
State,  v^^here  they  are  fed  a  little  in  severe  weather  in  winter.  In 
view,  too,  of  the  fact,  that  so  large  a  per  cent,  of  the  number 
in  the  State  is  annually  destroyed  by  dogs,  the  profits  under  the  ''let 
alone"  system,  so  generally  adopted,  are  unparalleled.  What  other 
investment  will  declare  such  dividends  under  similar  circumstances? 

NATURAL    PASTURES. 

There  are  about  10,000,000  acres  of  practically  unoccupied  lands 
in  Georgia,  nearly  all  of  which  might  be  profitably  utilized  as  sheep 
walks.  A  vast  region  in  Southeastern  and  Southern  Georgia,  ex- 
tending from  the  Savannah  to  the  Chattahoochee,  is  a  natural 
pasture,  on  which  a  million  of  sheep  could  be  raised,  with  trifling 
•expense,  on  the  native  wire-grass  and  other  herbage  which  grow  up 
luxuriantly,  affording  excellent  pasturage  in  summer,  and  a  suhsist- 
ence  on  the  undermath  (which  remains  green)  and  winter  growing 
weeds  in  winter.  The  most  valuable  spontaneous  grass,  however, 
is  the  Bermuda,  which  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  purposes  of 
sheep  pasturage,  forming  an  impenetrable  sod  of  exceedingly  nutri- 
tious grass,  equal  on  good  land  to  the  best  blue-grass  pastures  of 
Kentucky,  from  early  spring  until  frost.  It  will  also  supply  winter 
pasturage  where  partially  protected  by  pine  trees,  under  which  it 
remains  green  through  the  entire  winter,  and  is  relished  by  all  kinds 
of  stock. 

A  sod  of  Bermuda  on  lands  unprofitable  for  cultivation,  loill  sup- 
port five  sheep  to  the  acre  for  nine  months  in  the  year. 

There  are  other  natural  grasses  which  afford  good  pasturage 
during  the  summer  months.  So  much  for  spontaneous  pasturage 
which  will  keep  the  sheep  in  thriving  condition  for  nine  months, 
and  will,  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  State,  subsist  them  for  the 
other  three. 

Admitting,  that  to  preserve  a  uniform  condition  of  health  and 
thrift  during  the  other  three  months  of  the  year  some 


24  DEPARTMENT   OF    AGRICULTURE — GEORGIA.  [48} 

ARTIFICIAL  PASTURAGE 

Will  be  necessary,  it  can  be   readily   and  cheaply  supplied. 

From  the  summer  pasturage  they  are  turned  upon  the  pea-fields, 
from  which  the  corn  has  been  gathered,  care  being  taken  to  accustom 
them  gradually  to  the  consumption  of  the  pea,  to  prevent  injury  by 
overfeeding. 

On  these  they  will  grow  fat,  and  be  either  ready  for  the  butcher, 
or  for  entrance  into  winter. 

From  the  pea  field  they  go  to  the  cotton  field,  which  was  sown  in 
rye  or  oats  in  August  or  September,and  is  green  and  succulent  through 
the  winter.  These,  with  the  aid  of  the  ruta  baga  turnip  crop,  which 
was  also  sown  in  July  and  August,  will  furnish  abundant  green  food 
until  the  return  of  early  spring  vegetation.  If  it  is  desired  to  reap 
a  harvest  from  the  grain  fields,  the  turnips  can  be  reserved  for  early 
spring  feeding,  as  grain  from  which  a  crop  is  expected  should  not 
be  grazed  later  than  the  first  to  last  of  February  according  to  latitude. 

By  employing  movable  fence  panels — several  kinds  of  which  are 
in  successful  use,  the  flock  can  be  herded  on  just  sufficient  area  of 
turnips  to  last  them  twenty-four  hours,  and  this  continued  until  the 
whole  crop  is  consumed.  While  consuming  the  turnips  they  will 
heavily  fertilize  the  soil. 

Our  climate  has  this  great  advantage  over  those  with  more  severe 
winters. 

In  Middle  and  Southern  Georgia,  small  grain  furnishes  green 
pasturage  all  winter,  and  a  remunerating  crop  the  next  summer. 

Turnips  need  no  protection  in  the  southern  half  of  Georgia,  and 
can  be  utilized  with  no  more  labor  than  is  required  to  change  the 
movable  fence  as  often  as  necessary  to  give  fresh  pasturage  or,  if 
preferred,  can  be  banked  like  sweet  potatoes,  through  the  winter  and 
fed  in  spring  after  being  reduced  by  a  pulping  machine. 

Another  advantage,  both  in  economy  and  in  the  health  of  the 
sheep,  which  we  have  over  more  northern  climates,  is  derived  from, 
the  fact  that,  in  the  larger  portion  of  Georgia,  sheep  do  not  need 
shelter  in  winter.  This  enables  the  husbandman  to  avoid,  not  only 
the  expense  of  building  shelters,  but  of  hauling  the  manure  from 
the  shelters  to  the  field,  since,  under  the  system  suggested,  they  de- 
posit all  the  winter  droppings,  either  on  the  grain    or  turnip  fields,. 

where  it  is  needed.  ^    ., 

Library 

N.  C,  State  College 


[49]  8HEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    GEORGIA.  25 

If  the  fanner  wishes  dry  food  for  winter  use,  the  pea  vine,  oats^ 
German  millet,  or  other  liay,  sorghum  or  sugar  cane  fodder  may  be 
made  to  furnish  an  abundance  of  very  nutritious  and  cheap   forage. 

No  country  in  the  world  affords  as  cheap  or  better  grain  food  for 
sheep  than  Georgia.  Cotton  seed,  a  surplus  product  from  the- 
cotton  crop,  which  can  be  purcliased  at  fifteen  cents  per  hvshel,  ha& 
proved  an  excellent  winter  food  for  sheep. 

If  the  Bermuda  grass  and  wire  grass  were  properly  utilized  for 
summer  pasturage,  and  small  grain  pastures  and  turnips  for  winter, 
Georgia  could  sustain  4,000,000  sheep,  and  largely  increase  her 
agricultural  products  by  converting  much  wasting  vegetable  matter 
into  a  superior  fertilizer. 

PROTECTION    NEEDED. 

The  annoyance  at  present  attending  sheep-raising  in  Georgia,  to- 
say  nothing  of  the  losses,  deters  many  from  engaging  in  it  even 
under  the  stimulus  of  the  large  profits  realized.  The  herdsman  is 
compelled  to  protect  his  flocks  with  gun  or  poison  against  the 
ravages  of  dogs.  He  thus  often  incurs  the  ill-will  of  neighbors,, 
which  may  manifest  itself  in  resentment  or  retaliation  ;  or  perhaps 
the  death  of  a  worthless  cur  may  kindle  the  torch  of  the  incendiary,, 
or  speed  the  bullet  of  the  assassin.  Tennessee  has  imposed  a  tax 
upon  dogs  as  a  means  of  protection  to  sheep  husbandry.  Some 
additional  legislation  for  its  protection  is  needed  in  Georgia.  To- 
secure  this,  tlie  presentation  of  facts,  and  the  expressed  wish  of  the 
people,  will  probably  meet  a  prompt  response  at  the  hands  of  an 
intelligent  and  patriotic  General  Assembly. 

Until  the  necessary  protection  can  be  secured,  a  resort  must  be 
had,  either  to  inclosed  pastures  adjacent  to  dwellings,  or  to  the  em- 
ployment of  shepherds  and  shepherd  dogs,  where  the  flocks  are  suf- 
ficiently large  to  justify  the  expense. 

The  latter  expedient  muII  enable  the  farmer  to  utilize  much  val- 
uable pasturage,  otherwise  inaccessible,  by  herding  his  sheep  on  un- 
cultivated tracts  in  cultivated  fields. 

The  shepherd,  furnished  with  an  axe  or  briar  hook,  can  employ 
his  time,  while  the  sheep  are  shading  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
day,  in  cleaning  off  brush  and  briars,  and  thus  improving  and  in- 
creasing the  pasture  ground.  Grass  also,  on  commons,  where  it 
would  not  be  safe  to  risk  the  flock  alone,  can  thus  be  converted  into 
mutton  and  wool. 


•26  DEPARTMENT   OF    AGRICULTURE — GEORGIA.  [50] 

INFLUENCE  ON  LABOR. 

Labor  is  the  vexed  question  which  stands  in  the  way  of  the  solu- 
tion of  every  other  problem  in  Southern  agriculture.  At  present, 
all  the  marketable  products  of  the  Southern  farm  are  made  by  the 
employment  of  expensive  human  muscle. 

Under  existing  circumstances,  neither  brains  nor  capital,  nor  both 
combined,  can  sufficiently  control  labor  to  render  it  either  reliable 
or  profitable.  The  large  introduction  of  sheep  as  laborers  or  man- 
ufacturers of  wool  and  manure,  will,  to  a  great  extent,  diminish  the 
demand  for  human  labor,  proportionately  reduce  its  cost,  and  in- 
crease its  efficiency  by  bringing  it  under  better  control. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that,  as  sheep  husbandry  is  increased  in  Geor- 
gia, the  difficulties  of  the  labor  question  will  diminish. 

Another  difficulty  of  Southern  agriculture  is  the  fact  that  the  pro- 
ducts from  a  very  large  portion  of  the  land  in  cultivation,  do  not 
pay  the  cost  of  cultivation. 

All  such  lands  can  be  made  profitable  as  sheep  walks,  and  grad- 
ually improved  by  the  droppings  of  the  flock,  and  kept  clear  of  nox- 
ious weeds  and  shrubbery,  thus  saving  much  labor  when  it  is  desir- 
ed to  bring  them  again  into  cultivation. 

An  agricultural  communit.f  is  usually  stable,  conservative,  and 
averse  to  changes  of  policy  or  practice. 

Farmers  adapt  themselves  slowly  to  changes  of  circumstances,  ad- 
here tenaciously  to  habitudes  of  thought,  yield  with  reluctance  their 
allegiance  to  traditionary  practice  before  the  advancing  wheel  of 
progress,  and  demand  the  practical  demonstration  of  the  correct- 
ness of  each  theory,  before  it  is  accepted. 

No  theories  untried  by  the  touch-stone  of  practical  experience 
are  presented  in  this  circular. 

The  facts  given  are  derived  from  the  experience  and  observations 
of  practical  men,  who  are  surrounded  by  the  same  circumstances 
and  difficulties  as  those  who  are  here  advised  to  "go  and  do  like- 
wise." The  facts  that-  have  been  presented  remove  all  doubt  as  to 
the  profit  of  sheep  husbandry  in  Georgia,  and  present  a  remarka- 
ble contrast  between  cotton  and  wool-growing  in  the  State- -the 
one  selling  at  less  than  the  cost  of  production,  the  other  at  27^  cents 
profit  per  pound. 

All  farmers  in  Georgia  are,  therefore,  urged  to  embark  to  the 
extent  of  their  pasturage  facilities  in  raising  sheep  for  wool. 


[51]  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY   IN    GEORGIA.  27 

There  are  many  millions  of  pounds  of  wool  annually  im- 
ported into  the  United  States.  There  need  be  no  fear,  therefore, 
of  the  supply  exceeding  the  demand,  since  the  consumption  of 
mutton  and  wool  must  increase  with  the  increase  of  popula- 
tion. 

Sheep  husbandry  in  Georgia  offers  a  wide  field  of  usefulness,  in- 
dependence and  profit  to  young  men.  It  is  to  them  that  Georgia 
■must  look  for  the  development  of  her  resources.  They  are  not 
trammeled  by  habits  of  thought  and  routine  of  practice.  Let 
them  survey  well  the  field  of  enterprise  before  casting  their  lots  in 
positions  of  dependence  upon  unreliable,  uncontrollable  labor. 

It  is  to  them  that  Georgia  must  look  to  build  up  her  waste  places, 
and  restore,  with  their  flocks,  the  lands  which  their  fathers  have 
exhausted  with  cotton. 


NEW  EDITION  DEMANDED. 


The  revival  in  the  interest  in  sheep  husbandry  and  the  resulting- 
correspondence  from  parties,  both  in  Georgia  and  from  other  States, 
render  it  necessary  to  issue  a  new  edition  of  the  Manual  of  sheep 
iiusbandry,  in  order  that  the  inquiries  received  at  this  office  may 
be  promptly  and  fully  answered,  by  mailing  the  printed  matter 
containing  the  desired  information.  The  following  pages  are 
added  to  the  original  Manual,  published  in  1875,  to  supply  more 
fully  the  information  sought  by  those  contemplating  sheep-culture 
in  Georgia,  whether  citizens  of  this  or  of  other  States. 


DESCEIPTKm  OF  BREEDS. 


The  Merino  must,  for  the  next  half  century,  be  the  principal 
factor  in  the  improvement  of  our  common  slieep,  since  wool  grow- 
ino-  will  be  the  leading  object  of  sheep  husbandry  in  the  South, 
un'til  our  population  becomes  sufficiently  dense  and  our  cities  grow 
laro-e  enough  to  create  a  demand  for  mutton.  The  illustration  of 
the'' American  Merino,  in  the  frontispiece,  gives  a  fair  representation 
of  first  class  stock  of  that  valuable  breed  which  is  rapidly  supersed- 
ing all  other  varities  of  the  Merino  family. 

They  are  heavier  in  body,  produce  longer  wool,  and  have  the 
flee<!e    better    distributed    over    the   body   than  the  old    Spanish 

Merino.  j     •-.   j       a 

These  crossed  on  the  common  sheep,  produce  a  decided  and 
rapid  improvement  in  every  desirable  quality,  and  every  owner  of 
as  many  as  fifty  common  ewes,  will  find  it  to  his  interest  to  pur- 
chase an  American  Merino  buck  and  a  few  thoroughbred  ewes. 
The  Merino  is  a  very  hardy  sheep,  and  will  thrive  on  pastures  on 
which  the  large,  long  wool  mutton  sheep  will  starve. 

They  are  better  adapted  to  the  South  than  any  other  of  the 
thoroughbred  varieties,  are  large  wool  producers,  and  when  fat, 
make  delicious,  marrowy  mutton. 

They  are  very  serviceable  in  destroying  bushes,  briars  and  nox> 
ous  weeds  from  pastures,  and  while  producing  more  wool  than  the 
large  breeds,  five  times  as  many  of  them  as  of  the  large  brec.ls 
can  be  kept  on  a  given  area. 

Another  advantage  of  the  Merino  for  our  culture  is  that  they 

lierd  well. 


30 


DEPARTMENT   OF   AGRICTJLTUKE — GEORGIA. 


[51]: 


COTSWOLD   BUCK. 


THE    COTSWOLD 

^  Is    a    superior    mutton    slieep- 

with  long,  coarse  wool  which  com- 
mands a  good  price,  but  they  re- 
•juire  a  full  bite  of  grass  and  are 
much  more  subject  to  disease  than 
the  Merino.  They  are  better 
HI  adapted  to  cool  climates,  where 
pasturage  is  abundant  and  where 
they  are  kept  in  comparatively 
small  flocks.  Indeed  they  do  not  thrive  in  large  flocks  as  the  Meri- 
nos  do.  Those  who  desire  to  keep  a  few  fine  sheep  in  North  Geor- 
gia, under  circumstances  under  vrhich  especial  care  and  attention 
can  be  bestowed  upon  them,  will  find  the  Cotswold  a  valuable 
breed  whether  bred  pure  or  used  to  grade  up  the  common  sheep 
of  the  country. 

Where  large  herds  are  to  be  kept,  and  but  little  attention  given 
them,  smaller  herds  will  pay  better. 

SOUTHDOWNS. 

This  is  more  celebrated  as  a  mut 
ton  sheep  than  any  other  variety,  is 
very  distinctive  in  its  type,  com- 
pact and  symmetrical  in  form,  me- 
dium in  size  of  body  and  length 
and  yield  of  wool. 

It  is  remarkable    more  for   the 
quality  than    the    quantity  of  the 
mutton,   is  hardy    compared   with 
the  larger  breeds  and  moderately  prolific. 

Like  the  Cotswold,  the  Southdown  is  strictly  a  farm  sheep 
adapted  only  to  enclosed  pastures  where  a  liberal  bite  of  grass  can 
be  had  and  where  proper  care  and  attention  will  be  bestowed. 

The  distinctive  features  of  the  Southdown  are  its  symmetrical, 
compact  form,  the  superior  fine  texture  and  juiciness  of  its  mutton, 
its  smooth,  close  coat  of  wool  and  its  black  face  and  legs. 

For  the  gentleman  who  wishes  to  produce  a  superior  mutton  for 
his  own  table  and  who  has  a  taste  for  stock  that  are  an  ornament  to- 
his  fields,   the  Southdown  is  recommended.     It  is  not  intended  to> 


(m 


'iC!'> 


SOUTHDOWN    BUCK. 


[55] 


SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    GEORGIA. 


31 


convey  the  impression  that  the  Southdown  may  not  be  grown  pro- 
fitably in  Georgia,  for  beyond  all  quei-tion  it  can;  but  compared 
with  the  Merino  and  its  grades,  the  preference  is  given  to  the 
Merino  where  profit  is  the  principal  object  in  keeping  sheep. 

Neither  should  those  who  must  grow  sheep  upon  enclosed  farms 
be  discouraged  from  breeding  them.  Millions  of  the  best  sheep  in 
the  world  are  grown  on  enclosed  pastures  in  England,  France  and 
America.  The  difficulty  about  such  culture  in  Georgia  rests  in  the 
fact  that  the  impression  prevails  that  sheep  should  take  care  of 
themselves,  without  taxing  either  the  time  or  attention  of  their 
owners.  Until  this  impression  is  discarded,  there  can  be  no  success- 
ful sheep  husbandry  in  Georgia  outside  of  the  range  regions. 

With  one  tithe  of  the  care  and  attention  now  bestowed  upon  cot- 
ton culture,  and  without  the  expense  and  worry  attending  the  lat- 
ter, sheep  husbandry  may  be  made  to  quadruple  the  net  pro- 
fits of  cotton  culture  on  any  given  area  of  dry  and  reasonably  fertile 
land  in  Georgia. 

THE  SHROPSHIRE  SHEEP 

A  large,  black  faced  breed,  between  the  Cotswold  and  Soutdhown 
in  size  of  carcass  and  length  of  fleece  and 

THE  IMPROVED  KENTUCKY, 

A  result  of  successive  crosses  cf  the  Merino,  Leicester,  Southdown 
Cotswold  and  Oxforddown  breeds  on  selected  native  ewes,  subse- 
quently breeding  the  mixed  ewes,  thus  obtained, to  a  mixed  Cotswold^ 
Oxford,  Leicester  and  Southdown  ram,  have  acquired  local  and 
temporary  popularity  but  have  not  met  with  general  favor. 

THE  NATIVE  OR  COMMON  SHEEP. 

These  constitute  the  great  ma- 
jority of  the  flocks  of  Georgia. 
Their  principal  merit  consists 
in  their  hardiness  and  their 
ability  to  travel  daily  over  a 
large  area  in  search  of  food. 

If  sheep  are  to  be  turned 
out  on  the  range  to  take  care 
of  themselves  with  no  atten- 
tion from  their  owner  further 
than  to  gather  them  up  once 
a  year  for  the  purpose  of  shearing  the  old  ones  and  marking  the 


NATIVE   EWE. 


■32  DEPAKTMENT    OF    AGRICDLTDRE — GEORGIA.  [50] 

lambs,  the  natives  are  probably  the  best  sheep  for  such  treatment, 
but  such  manas^ement  is  not  sheep  husbandry  at  all,  and  discourages 
many  from  embarking  in  the  business,  or  results  in  disappointment 
if  not  failure  to  the  herdsman.  The  native  ewes  furnish  an  admir- 
able basis  of  improvement  by  the  use  of  Merino  bucks,  and  the  im- 
provement is  rapid  and  marked.  This  improvement  is  especially 
conspicuous  in  the  improvement  both  in  the  quantity  and  quality 
of  the  wool. 

PRINCIPLES    OF    BREEDING. 

Yery  little  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  recognized  principles 
of  breeding  so  far  as  sheep  husbandry  in  concerned.  Indeed,  with 
few  exceptions,  sheep  husbandry  has  never  been  pursued  in  Georgia 
as  a  business,  on  business  principles,  but  has  generally  occupied  a 
subordinate  place  in  our  husbandry. 

The  time  has  now  come  when  it  may  be  pursued  in  a  systematic 
manner  as  the  leading  interest  on  thousands  of  farms  in  Georgia, 
with  positive  assurance  of  satisfactory  profits. 

The  first  question  to  be  considered  by  one  proposing  to  engage 
in  breeding  sheep,  or  other  stock,  is  that  of  abundant  supplies  of 
provender  economically  procured. 

This  question  can  be  readily  met  in  every  section  of  Georgia. 
Indeed,  with  judicious  management  our  advantages  of  soil,  climate 
and  variety  of  production  are  such  that  in  more  than  half  of  the 
State,  sheep  may  procure  abundant  supplies  from  green  pastures, 
throughout  the  year — not  as  has  been  claimed  without  care  or  labor 
on  the  part  of  the  flockmaster — but  with  Bermuda  pastures  for 
spring  and  summer,  the  gleanings  of  pea  fields  in  the  fall,  and 
small  grain  pastures  sown  for  them  in  early  fall  for  winter  pastur- 
age, sheep  may  be  kept  healthy  and  thrifty — yes  fat,  throughout 
the  year  without  being  fed  grain  of  any  kind,  except  a  few  oats  to 
the  bucks  during  service  and  perhaps  a  small  amount  to  ewes  at 
lambing. 

There  are  thousands  of  acres  of  land  in  Middle  Georgia  already 
well  set  in  Bermuda  grass  which  will  support  five  sheep  per  acre, 
from  March  to  November  now,  and  will  annually  increase  in  feed, 
ing  capacity  if  sheep  are  placed  upon  them.  If  vetch,  spotted 
medick,  and  annual  spear  grass,  are  sown  upon  the  Bermuda  sod,  they 
will  a£ford  good  pasturage  on  the  same  land  during  the  remaining 


[57]  SHEEP   HUSBANDRY   IN   GEORGIA.  33 

months  of  the  year  for  the  general  flock,  reserving  the  small  grain 
winter  pastures  for  the  breeding  ewes  and  the  lambs. 

The  flockmaster  on  such  lands  should  keep  either  all  pure  Ameri- 
can Merinos  or  a  small  flock  of  them,  as  a  source  of  supply  of  Merino 
bucks  with  which  to  grade  up  the  common  sheep. 

On  such  pastures  the  sheep  should,  and  would  under  judicious 
management,  yield  an  annual  profit  of  $2.00  per  head  in  wool, 
mutton  and  increase  in  lambs.  The  lands  in  Southern  Georgia, 
from  wliich  the  timber  is  being  cut  for  lumber,  can,  without  much 
labor,  be  planted  in  Bermuda  grass  and  converted  into  most  profita- 
ble sheepwalks. 

There  is  no  grass  superior  to  the  Bermuda  as  pasturage  for  sheep, 
where  the  climate  and  elevation  admit  of  its  successful  cultivation. 

From  upper  Middle  Georgia,  to  the  northern  limits  of  the  State, 
the  cultivated  grasses  are  successfully  grown  and  afford  excellent 
pasturage  throughout  the  year,  but  should  not  be  closely  depastured 
during  the  summer  months.  During  this  period  Bermuda  and  the 
native  summer  grasses  should  be  employed  and  the  cultivated  grasses 
allowed  to  grow  for  fall  and  winter  use. 

In  the  remainder  of  Middle  Georgia,  and  in  the  southern  half  of 
the  State,  Bermuda  and  natural  grasses  will  afford  pasturage  from 
early  spring  until  November,  when  the  small  grain  pastures  and 
the  gleanings  of  the  cultivated  fields  will  keep  them  until  spring 
again. 

In  no  part  of  the  State  can  the  natural  pasturage  be  relied  upon 
to  keep  sheep  in  a  thriving  condition  throughout  the  year,  though 
the  native  flocks  do  subsist  through  the  year  on  the  range  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State  and  prove  exceedingly  profitable  to 
their  owners. 

The  fact  that  they  do  prove  profitable  in  that  part  of  the  State 
without  attention,  furnishes  good  evidence  that  under  a  more 
rational  and  judicious  system  under  which  the  ewes  and  lambs,  at 
least,  would  have  access  to  small  grain  pastures  during  the  winter 
months,  the  profits  would  be  very  largely  increased.  Early  spring 
lambs  are  shipped  annually  from  Tennessee  and  Kentucky  to  New 
York  and  Boston  at  enormous  profits.  Georgia  might  anticipate 
these  sources  of  supply  at  least  one  month,  by  having  the  lambs 
dropped  in  November  and  grown  upon  succulent  pastures  of  small 
grain  sown  for  the  purpose. 


34  DEPA-RTMENT   OF   AGRICULTURE — GEORGIA.  [58] 

If  butchered  beef  can  be  profitably  shipped  from  Chicago  to 
Georgia  markets  in  refrigerator  cars,  why  may  not  our  early  lambs 
be  shipped  to  Chicago  in  the  returning  cars  ?  To  grow  lambs  for 
this  purpose,  Cotswold  bucks  crossed  on  the  native  ewes  would  pro- 
bably give  the  best  results,  since  this  first  cross  produces  a  lamb 
very  little  if  at  all  inferior  for  mutton  to  the  thoroughbred. 

THE   DIFFICULTIES 

In  the  way  of  sheep-husbandry  in  Georgia  are  : 

1st.  The  risk  of  depredations  by  dogs.  This  is  a  serious  though 
not  an  insurmountable  obstacle.  Sheephusbandry  is  made  profita- 
ble in  other  States  where  there  is  no  protection  from  dogs,  and 
may  be  in  Georgia  if  proper  attention  is  bestowed  upon  the  sheep. 
Indeed,  many  planters,  who  grow  sheep,  report  them  the  most  profi- 
table property  on  their  plantations. 

The  industry  must  assume  such  proportions  as  to  command  res- 
pect and  votes  before  laws  protecting  it  can  be  expected  at  the 
hands  of  political  representatives. 

2d.  The  people  of  Georgia  have  given  so  little  attention  to  sheep 
husbandry  in  the  past,  that  they  are  not  familiar  with  the  manage- 
ment of  flocks,  and  hence  are  slow  to  abandon  industries  with  which 
they  are  familiar,  to  embark  in  one  about  which  they  know  but 
little,  even  though  the  prospect  for  profit  may  be  better,  and  the 
expenses  less  than  cultivating  crops. 

For  those  who  have  experience  in  the  management  of  flocks 
sheep  husbandry  in  Georgia  presents  a  most  inviting  field. 

Complaints  of  the  unreliableness  of  labor  are  annually  increasing, 
and  many  are  sowing  larger  areas  in  oats  every  year  as  a  possible 
solution  to  the  labor  question.  If  sheep  husbandry  is  added  to  the 
cultivation  of  increased  areas  in  grain,  the  least  valuable^ parts  of 
the  plantations  set  in  Bermuda  grass,  the  stock  of  cattle'^increased 
and  improved  by  the  introduction  of  Jersey  bulls,  more 'attention 
given  to  the  dairy,  pigs  enough  kept  to  consume  the  buttermilk 
and  crops  planted  on  which  to  fatten  the  pork  in  the  fall  without 
the  consumption  of  corn,  except  to  harden  the  meat  just  before 
killing  the  pork,  the  expenses  of  the  farm  will  be  reduced  and  the 
net  income  largely  increased. 

The  services  of  a  single  man  will  answer  for  the  care  of  a'^thous- 
and  sheep,  except  at  shearing  time,  while  the  annual  net  income 


[59]  SHEEP    HUSBANDRY    IN    GEORGIA.  35 

from  the  flock  would  exceed  that  from  an  area  equal  to  that,  on 
which  the  sheep  pasture,  cultivated  in  cotton. 

The  natural  increase  in  a  properly  managed  flock  of  a  thousand 
ewes  would  of  itself  be  no  insignificant  income  and  yet  it  involves 
no  annual  outlay  of  capital  and  no  worry  with  unreliable  laborers. 

Under  the  foot  of  the  sheep  the  land  improves,  while  under  clean 
culture  a  constant  waste  of  fertility  takes  place. 

There  are  few  farms  in  Georgia  on  which  sheep  may  not  be 
profitably  kept. 

Those  not  acquainted  with  the  nature,  habits,  and  requirements  of 
sheep,  should  commence  with  a  small  number  and  gradually  increase 
the  flock  with  their  growth  of  skill  and  experience  in  its  manage, 
ment. 

Disastrous  mistakes  have  been  made  by  novices  who  undertook 
to  handle  large  flocks  without  the  requisite  training  or  the  necessary 
facilities  for  handling  them. 

Such  blunders,  resulting  in  disastrous  failure,  have  deterred  many, 
who  might  have  made  successful  flockmasters,  from  embarking  in 
the  business. 

While  sheep  husbandry  in  Georgia  presents  a  most  inviting  field 
for  enterprise,  it  does  not  promise  success  either  to  the  ignorant  or 
the  idle,  but,  like  every  other  enterprise,  requires  industry,  energy, 
sound  judgment,  a  practiced,  quick  eye  and  other  good  business 
qualifications. 

One  possessed  of  these  qualifications  can  find  in  Georgia  all  that 
is  necessary  to  success  in  cheap  lands,  a  healthy  climate,  ready 
formed  pastures,  and  a  reasonably  good  market  for  the  products  of 
his  flock. 


k 


1^.  C.  Btate  College 


